Searching
by ohdaydreamer
Summary: Jason never had the chance to know his father. What if he was given that chance? What will happen along the way, amidst his last year of high school, his family and friends? Jelsi, plus mentions of Troyella, Chaylor & Zekepay.
1. The Trailer

_A/N: This is very loosely based off a standalone I wrote last year under a different username, '__Letting Go and Hanging On'. Some of you may have read it, some may have not. Anyway, if you have, like I said, it will be very loosely based on that. This starts the new school year after High School Musical 2. This will be Jason-centric, like the standalone was. It'll be set during senior year, although focus on school will be little, since I'm not very familiar with the education system in America.  
_

_Anyway, review! Tell me what you think of it. I don't know how soon I'll get it out; by the end of the month maybe. It's also my first attempt at writing a trailer.  
_

_Because I know I'll tend to forget, I'll put the disclaimer here for the entire fic._

_Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical, or any of its characters and material, or any of the songs (if any) used. I only own this fic._

* * *

We see Jason playing basketball on his own in the gym after practice, shooting basket after basket after basket. Screen fades to black.

**There was a boy, who almost had it all…**

Screen fades in to Jason with the Wildcats playing against the West High Knights for State finals; to Jason with Troy, Chad and Zeke; to Jason receiving an A on a Media project; of Jason and Kelsi in the car together, laughing.

**But when someone he hasn't seen in years walks back into his life…**

Slowly zooms in on Jason's face as he stands in the living room doorway, showing shock, as he stares at the back of a man's head, his keys dropping to the floor in slow motion.

The scene changes to Jason standing in the middle of the court at Troy's house. "He's back, you guys. After ten years, he's finally had the nerve to show his face." By his voice, he is upset, as the camera focuses on Troy, Chad and Zeke, who looks shocked, angry and sympathetic respectively.

**His life and everything he knows…**

Jason is watching Kelsi and a guy talk around the corner, before walking away, his expression neutral. Scene changes, to show Jason ignoring Kelsi as he stalks down the hall. The camera focuses on Kelsi. "Jason?" There is worry in her voice.

The scene changes again and shows Jason talking to his Media teacher, who presents him with a C on his latest assignment. He is glaring at the paper.

We see Jason in the locker room before practice, holding onto his jersey and staring at the big '23' and 'CROSS'. A whistle blows.

Scene changes and fades in to Jason and Kelsi playing with a little girl.

…**starts to change…**

"This isn't like you, Jason," his mother says disappointedly, critically looking at him as he nurses a hangover. The camera is focused on her face, which is sad and weary, before focusing on Jason, who has an ice-pack to his forehead with a scowl on his face.

"Just tell him to go, and everything will go back to the way it was," he says coldly.

"You need to give him a chance, Jason. He loves you."

"Really? I don't believe that," he says in disgust. He is met with silence and he walks out angrily.

**When will he realize, that the ones he needed…**

We see Jason running away from a burning building with a little girl in his arms. Focus on Kelsi who is waiting for him, worry on her face. Focus once more on Jason as he reluctantly passes the little girl into a paramedic's arm, as he stumbles towards Kelsi, who catches him and hugs him tightly.

The scene fades out, then in to show Jason in his graduation robes, hugging his mother. He looks up to see a man standing across the football field, his expression neutral.

…**have always been right in front of him?**

Screen shows Jason laughing with his older sister and brother, while their mother looks on with a happy smile on her face.

Changes to Jason standing before Troy, Chad and Zeke in Troy's backyard.

Changes to Jason and Kelsi hugging, with focus on Jason's face.

The scene changes to Jason driving in his car.

**Ryne Sanborn**

We see Kelsi laughing as she walks down the halls with someone off-camera.

**Olesya Rulin**

'**Searching'**

We see Jason standing on the sidewalk just outside his house, waving as he watches a car drive off. Screen fades to black.

**Coming soon!**


	2. The End of Summer

**Chapter One: The End of Summer**

It was the last day of summer. The heat was slowly lowering, and the lush green landscape was also slowly dulling into a darker shade of green, before it would eventually fade away into various shades of yellow, orange and brown. The end of summer also meant that school was just around the corner, tomorrow, in fact, for the East High Wildcats. None of them were quite looking for it, but then again, welcomed it, because it would mean that they would be taken out of the monotonous routine they had to go through ever since they stopped their summer jobs at Lava Springs Country Club.

"So tomorrow, our senior year starts, guys. Can you believe it?" Troy asked.

"Yeah, it's pretty unbelievable. Remember our first day at East High?" Zeke said, passing the ball to Jason, who aimed and shot a perfect basket.

"Remember it? How could I forget it!" Chad declared.

"Yeah, especially since you got detention with Darbus on the very first day of class," the Wildcats captain and star player reminded, a smirk on his face. He shot the ball, and it swished through the hoop.

They laughed as Chad just rolled his eyes. The four best friends, all born within three months of each other, continued running drills, ones they've had memorised ever since they made junior varsity, and later on, to the varsity team, eventually making the starting line-up, with Jack Bolton as their coach. Being childhood best friends with the coach's son sometimes entitled them to extra practices whenever they came over, but the three didn't mind much, especially if it meant they could get better. Basketball was as much a passion for them as it was for the Boltons, although the younger Bolton's passion for basketball was now shared with his singing.

Zeke was their oldest, born in the last week of October. Chad and Troy followed in November, with Jason, their youngest, was born on the first of December. They had known each other since pre-school, ever since Troy accidentally spilled paint on Chad's hair, which had still been short and tame then. Chad, however, seeing only Jason close by, thought it was him, and so, had poured paint on him, who, shocked, somehow managed to fling his paintbrush away, hitting Zeke in the face and getting Troy in the process. Their bond had started then, after much screaming and yelling and protests of 'but he started it', pointing at each other with accusatory glares on their faces. It was during time-out did they start laughing, pointing at each other once more, but this time with smiles and toothy grins. Somehow they just clicked then, and they had been best friends ever since.

"Forget about the first day at East High. Remember preschool?"

That started a chain of "Remember…" moments as they shot basket after basket after basket. Jason smiled as he relived the memories, suddenly remembering things he had forgotten. He could hardly believe all the things they had gone through together. It seemed almost impossible for all of that to happen in the thirteen years that they had been friends. It was crazy.

"Time out guys," Jason suddenly groaned, a hand going to his side. "I'm beat."

"Yeah, I think we should stop now," Troy said, looking up towards the sky, squinting, as the bright rays of light coming from the sun invaded his vision. "Besides, lunch will be soon."

They sat down in a circle in the middle of the court, except for Chad who promptly laid down on the ground. For a moment, it was just silent between them, which was unusual for them, as they always seemed to have a story they wanted to share. Taylor had commented once that they acted like girls whenever they had something new or exciting to tell each other. Chad, incidentally, was the worst out of them all.

"You haven't said much all morning, J," Chad said. "Everything alright, man?"

Jason's face flushed when their attention focused on him. He wasn't used to being the centre of attention, even if it was just the four of them. Troy was the star, Chad was the one who got into trouble, Zeke was the sweet one that every girl wanted in a boyfriend, and Jason was the shy, quiet, funny one. Or at least, that's what the cheerleaders classified them as.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just – nervous about tomorrow," he confessed.

"Jase, it's alright to be nervous," Zeke said.

"Although, I don't really understand why. Starting tomorrow, we're seniors!" Chad said excitedly, letting out a whoop of joy.

"Boys, time for lunch!" Mrs Bolton called out from the door.

"Coming, Mrs Bolton!" they all said in unison, including Troy, which just caused the other three to roll their eyes. It was a habit of all of theirs anyway, referring to their mothers by their last name whenever they hung out at any one of their houses.

As Troy and Chad raced each other to get to the door first, Zeke waited and helped Jason up, who winced slightly.

"You going to be okay?" Zeke asked.

"Yeah, yeah," Jason said, repeating his earlier answer. "I'm fine. I'll be fine."

Zeke, Jason knew, wasn't entirely convinced of his answer, but accepted it anyway, as they made their way into the Bolton household, Troy and Chad already arguing about one thing or another. Jason smiled, as he took his usual seat across from Troy. With friends like these, he didn't have to worry.

* * *

Despite the morning workout, Jason still went for his afternoon jog around the park. He would set off from his house at a quarter past five, dressed in sweatpants and either a plain shirt or a hoodie, equipped with a bottle of water and his iPod, and would walk to one end of the park, before starting his jog from there. Usually he would do two rounds, but on lazy days like today, he would do only one.

He used to do this with his older brother and sister, Jonas and Jen, but since they had left for college, he had been doing it alone. He would have invited Troy or Chad or Zeke, but it was a family thing, and it didn't feel right to him to replace Jen and Jonas's place, even if the replacements were his best friends.

Jason stopped to rest on a bench he used frequently whenever he used this route. He tilted his back and closed his eyes, letting the music take over him, with his hand deep in his pockets, stretching out his long legs onto the path. It was getting late, the sun already starting to set, and as such, no other joggers were usually out then, most going home to prepare for dinner. Others just didn't want to risk being out so late, even though the crime rate in Albuquerque was relatively low (or at least, not as high as compared to other cities around the States). He was one of the crazy few who risked it, wanting to soak in the last of the day's sunlight and the late afternoon wind.

His peace, however, was interrupted when someone tripped over his legs. There was a thud and an "Ouch!" just as he pulled the earphones out of his ears, bringing his legs in to stand up and to help the fallen person.

"I am so sorry," Jason said, feeling his neck heat up as he offered a hand. The person, a girl, judging by the long braids, still had her back to him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, dusting her hands off her pants.

'That voice sounds familiar,' he thought as she took his hand. When she finally turned to face him, he looked at her in shock. "Kelsi! Hey – oh my god, I am _so_ sorry," he repeated, sounding sorrier this time when he realized just _who_ he had managed to trip with his long legs. The heat rose in his cheek as she just smiled at him.

"It's fine, really," she said. She suddenly realized that she still had her hand in his and hastily took it away, which went behind her neck, looking away shyly before looking back at him. "So, what are you doing out here so late?"

"Jogging," he answered, picking up his water bottle. "It's just… something I do, to – you know – keep myself in shape."

"The others not with you?" she asked. She grimaced, smiling embarrassedly at him. "Of course they're not. They're not here."

"Yeah, this – uh – it's a family thing, really, but – um – since my sister and brother are at college and everything, so – um – yeah," he finished lamely. "What were you doing on this trail? I've never seen you on it before."

"I was running errands for my dad, and this is kind of like a short cut. My house isn't far from here. Well, from the end of the park anyway," she explained.

He nodded, and the pair lapsed into silence. It was slightly awkward, each trying to avoid the other's eyes. Despite the fact that they had hung out a couple of times over the summer and, of course, when they worked together at Lava Springs, they still haven't quite managed to move past the awkward stage if they were suddenly thrown together._ If_ they had made plans to meet, _then_ it wouldn't be as awkward.

There was also that little fact that he, Jason Cross, had a bit of a crush on her.

"So, I better get going," Kelsi said. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?"

"Um yeah, yeah," he said, nodding.

"Okay. Bye, Jason," she said, giving him a small smile, turning around and started to walk off.

"Bye," he started, "Kelsi," he continued, much quieter this time. "I'm really sorry about tripping you!" he yelled after her.

She turned, laughing. "I told you: it's fine." She gave him one last wave and walked away.

Jason let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding, just nodding to himself. He smiled, feeling his heart slow down to its normal rate. He hadn't realized until then that it had been racing until Kelsi was gone. His hand still tingled, as he made his way home.

* * *

_A/N: Well, that's the first chapter. It's kind of boring. But just review anyway. It would really help if you did. Thanks to those who reviewed the trailer and to those who alerted me!  
_


	3. The First Day of School

**Chapter Two: The First Day of School**

Early the next morning, Jason trudged into the kitchen, half-heartedly dragging his school bag behind him, yawning and rubbing his sleepy eyes. He dropped into his usual seat at the kitchen table, leaning his head against his hand as his mother, Sandra, set his breakfast in front of him. Smiling weakly, he closed his eyes for a moment.

"Wake up, Jason," Sandra said teasingly, hitting his head lightly with the newspaper. He laughed, opening his eyes once more and picked up his fork. She smiled at her son before taking a seat across from him, taking a sip from her own mug of coffee.

"Your sister called by the way."

"She did?" Jason asked excitedly. "What did she say?"

"Oh, she just wanted to wish you good luck. She knows how nervous you get on the first day of school." He just rolled his eyes and resumed eating his breakfast. Sandra, finding nothing else to do, went to get ready for work. "Oh, and Zeke called, sweetie!" she called from the front room. Jason was confused; he couldn't think of a reason why he would be calling. "He wanted to know what time you were picking him up and the boys for school."

"But I thought I – never mind. I'll just call him," he muttered to himself. Digging his cell phone out of his bag, he speed-dialed Zeke, waiting a while for the baker to actually pick up. It finally did, a few seconds later. "Zeke–"

"Hold on, I'll bring in Troy and Chad," Zeke said immediately. Jason pouted to himself, before shaking his head. Taylor was right. Any day now and they would turn into girls.

There was a click and then, Chad's voice was heard. "I'm telling you, Troy. That girl is crazy," he said vehemently.

"Who's crazy?" Jason asked.

"J! Oh, just Danielle Sinclair. Didn't you date her for like, a week last year?"

"I think so, yeah." He thought about it. "And yeah, she was a bit crazy." He laughed. "Why? What did she do?"

"It's not what she did. It's what she _tried_ to do. And dude, you do _not_ want to know."

Jason laughed, rolling his eyes, but then remember why he was calling in the first place. "Zeke, Troy then Chad. I'm leaving in ten minutes. You guys better be ready."

"We will. Don't worry," Zeke quickly assured over Chad's sound of protest.

* * *

The boys' reception to the new school year had been, as it had since junior year, filled with loud cheering and excitement. The seniors, juniors and sophomores of East High had no doubt that they would bring home the trophy once more once basketball season started. More importantly, the school knew that the East High Wildcats would conquer over the West High Knights again, rivals since before the current student body had been born.

It had taken them a little over five minutes to get away from the crowd and to their lockers, Troy and Zeke going down one hallway, while Jason and Chad went down another.

Jason was absentmindedly sticking up various notes onto the locker door, and putting in some empty notebooks onto the shelf, nodding and saying "uhuh" at the appropriate times as Chad talked to him about something. He stuck a picture of their little group onto the metal door and another of him with his siblings, and he just stood there for a moment, gazing at the faces in the pictures. As his eyes lingered on Kelsi's smile, he heard her laugh, and he turned his head to find her at the end of the hall laughing and talking with Gabriella, Taylor and Martha, and surprisingly, Sharpay. He smiled faintly to himself as he watched her, flushing slightly, remembering what happened yesterday.

"J, are you even listening?"

"Uhuh."

Chad looked at him suspiciously. "Of course you are. Who are you looking at anyway?" He put himself in Jason's line of sight, observing every face until realization dawned on him. He looked at the younger boy, punching his shoulder lightly. Jason, red-faced, started rearranging the contents of his locker once more. "Please don't tell me you haven't made your move on her?" The boy remained silent, merely grunting in reply. "Jase, dude, come on. It's been eight months! It's obvious that you like her, _and_ it's obvious that she likes you too.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. Remember how you two were around each other during summer?"

Further down the hall, Kelsi laughed once more, before breaking off from the group with Sharpay to turn a corner to her locker, vanishing from Jason's sight. He sighed and turned back to face Chad. The Wildcats co-captain had a sly grin on his face. "What?" Jason scowled at him.

"Dude, just ask her out. It's not that hard."

"You know, maybe for you it isn't, but it's actually harder for some of us." He slammed his locker door shut, and slung his bag over his shoulder.

"What's harder for some of us?"

Jason turned around to find Troy and Zeke standing there. Inside, he groaned. If Chad's teasing was bad, with Troy and Zeke backing him up, it was worse. But then again, it was always worse when it was three against one. He mentally prepared himself for the worst, as Chad informed them of his 'problem'.

"But it's been eight months. Surely something must have happened by now," Troy said, reminding him of the fact that it had been eight months once more. He rolled his eyes.

"Don't you think I don't know it's been eight months. Jeez, you guys." He stuffed a hand into his pocket. "If you guys _really_ must know, I hung out with her a couple of times over the summer. _And_ I ran into her yesterday. Well, she ran into me. Literally," he muttered.

"Oh so you _have_ been making a move on her," Chad teased.

"We just… talked, okay?" Jason protested.

"Okay," Zeke said, nodding. "But, you know, if you don't hurry, someone else might ask her out."

"You don't really think–"

"Hey, Kelsi's a pretty girl. It won't be long before someone else comes along and sweeps her off her feet."

"Yeah, someone more good-looking," Chad joked.

"Funnier, even."

Jason rolled his eyes.

"Oh, and someone who _doesn't_ always ask Ms Darbus how her summers or holidays were at the start and end of every semester," Troy added as an afterthought.

"Oh ha ha ha. Funny."

The group of four continued walking towards their homeroom, which, incidentally, they had with Ms Darbus, again, for the fourth year running since they started at East High.

Jason couldn't help but admit, as he vaguely listened to Troy and Chad arguing about one thing or another, that he _was_ scared he might lose his chance with Kelsi if he waited any longer. He didn't exactly have a solid reason why he hadn't asked her out yet. He hadn't really gone out with anyone ever since Troy and Gabriella's_Twinkle Towne_ audition. Ever since Kelsi, without warning walked into his life, making a large impact without meaning to. He was just… shy. And scared, because he hadn't liked anyone as much as he liked Kelsi, ever since his girlfriend since eighth grade dumped him during sophomore year in favour of some guy on the football team.

"It's alright, Jase. She was a psycho bitch anyway," Chad had remarked when he finally told them about two weeks later.

Ever since then, he had been dating casually, mostly with cheerleaders, or at least, with people within their social group.

And now that Kelsi had walked into his picture…

"Oh, look who it is, Jason. It's Kelsi. Hey Kelsi!" Chad yelled before Jason dived at him, trying to shut him up that ended up with them in a mock wrestling match.

"Would you shut up?" Jason hissed. Turning quickly to her, he raised a hand in greeting before pushing Chad out of sight, barely grabbing onto the front of Troy's and Zeke's shirts. "What are you doing?"

"Come on, I thought you guys were talking," Chad asked, rolling his eyes.

"We were. We are. We–" he stopped himself, confused with what he was trying to say.

"Well, since you guys are talking, why don't you go and talk to her? I mean, she was just standing there, all alone–"

"Sharpay's with her!"

"–so why don't you… walk her to homeroom? Come on, guys. Let's give our dear young friend a little push."

In desperation, Jason grabbed onto the lockers as two pairs of hands started pulling on his shirt. He could already feel the heat and colour rushing to his cheeks and his heart start to race at what his so-called best friends were trying to do. The surrounding juniors, sophomores and seniors whispered and pointed to an otherwise oblivious quartet, and freshmen were looking on in confusion, wondering if this was normal; by lunch, everyone would be wondering why number twenty-three of the Wildcats, Jason Cross, was forcibly being dragged somewhere by his best friends, fellow seniors and team mates Chad Danforth and Zeke Baylor while the final quarter of their group, and school's hero and star player, Troy Bolton kept watch on something. After a few more seconds, Jason's grip on the locker he had been desperately holding onto loosened and he was being dragged away.

"Guys, come on, we're seventeen – almost eighteen, perfectly mature guys. Why are you doing this? What are we – in middle school?"

"We're only helping you, man."

"We're doing what's best for you."

"Oh and dragging me down the hallway to see a girl I barely knew existed until last term – hey!" Jason was suddenly pushed and fell back against the locker beside Kelsi to whom he smiled sheepishly at. "Hey, Kelsi," he said breathlessly as he righted himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw them peering around the corner at them. Rolling his eyes and smiling in greeting at Sharpay, he focused his attention back on the much shorter pretty girl next to him.

* * *

"What do you think they're talking about?"

"What are you guys doing?"

The three crouching boys straightened up as Gabriella and Taylor watched them. Troy's gaze immediately focused on his girlfriend and he smiled before going over to her, kissing her softly.

"Hey. I missed you."

"I missed you too," Gabriella answered softly. "So what were you guys doing?"

"Oh, you know, just – spying on Jason."

Gabriella and Taylor exchanged looks of disbelief, with the former asking silently if this was normal behaviour. Taylor shrugged. "Why?" she asked.

"Did you know he hasn't asked her out yet?"

"Asked who out yet?"

Chad threw her a look. "Kelsi! He's liked her for only eight months and still hasn't done a single thing about it. But they're talking, so that's good. Better than noth – hey look! He's carrying her books, and it looks like he's walking her to class."

The girls laughed.

"And here I thought girls were the only ones who cared about this sort of thing," Gabriella teased.

"Agreed." They laughed once more.

Chad scowled.

* * *

"Tell me you're not at least a little excited about those two finally getting together?"

"Chad."

"What?"

"We _are_ excited. And happy for Kelsi. She kept talking about how much she likes him whenever I asked her about him. But you know, just because he's walking her to class, doesn't mean they're going to get together just straight off," Gabriella said.

"I know it's kind of weird, but I can see them lasting. She's the first girl he's really liked since that psycho bitch dumped him in tenth grade–"

"Jason!" Troy called out.

Three heads turned to look at the doorway, where the dark-haired teen was slowly walking in with a dazed look on his face. It was evident that they had been talking about him at their silence. He dropped into his seat behind Taylor, still with the blank-shocked-happy look on his face.

"Well?" Chad demanded.

"Just for the record, I hate you all," Jason said. "And for another, thanks." He shot the three boys a look. "But it's not like I couldn't have done it on my own."

"Of course not. Now tell us what happened."

Jason opened his mouth to tell them off but at that exact moment Ms Darbus walked into the classroom and went straight to welcoming them back and informing them of activities and sign up sheets and whatever else she always announced every morning. He slumped back into his seat, letting his mind drift off back to what had happened fifteen minutes ago.

"_Hey, Kelsi," Jason said breathlessly. He stood properly next to her, smiling awkwardly at Sharpay._

"_I'll see you during Drama, okay, Kelsi?" Sharpay asked. If he had listened closely, he would have caught the slight sly tone in her voice. If he had noticed, he would have seen the smirk the Ice Princess gave to the brunette. Kelsi just nodded as the blonde walked past her._

"_So, um, who do you have for homeroom this year?" Jason asked._Stupid. Way to go, Cross,_ he thought to himself._

"_Reeds," she said, grimacing. "I swear he has something against me ever since I accidentally said that even Einstein would fall asleep during his lectures."_

"_Probably not the smartest thing to say," Jason agreed. He had Reeds for Biology during sophomore year. "But then, his lessons _are_ pretty boring."_

"_Who've you got?"_

"_Who else?" Jason said as Kelsi closed her locker door shut, clutching several books and a couple of papers to her chest. She nodded in understanding. He smiled faintly to himself. "Um, here, I'll carry your books for you," he offered, holding out his hand._

"_Oh, no, I couldn't ask–" she started saying._

"_Please, I insist," he said._

"_But you'll be late and you know how Darbus is–"_

_Her cheeks, he noticed, were a light shade of pink. Under her hat, he noticed her eyes looking at everywhere and anything but at him. A sense of delight filled him; he was making her nervous. That meant something, right?_

"_The bell doesn't ring for another ten minutes. It's no problem."_

"_But why would you–"_

"_We're friends, aren't we?" _Even though I wish we could be more

_He watched her think about it, before finally relenting. She rolled her eyes at him and smiled before finally handing over her books and papers to him, their hands brushing lightly. His cheeks became warmer and his heart thudded in his chest as they started walking towards Kelsi's homeroom._

"_Thank you, Jason," she said when they were halfway there._

"_No problem." It was silent once more, but it was nowhere near awkward. He kept stealing glances at her, smiling every time he caught her eye. She had done something to her hair, he noticed. Her once straight hair was now in waves and hung loosely around her shoulders._

_When they finally reached the Biology classroom, they stood in front of the doorway in silence, unsure of what to say. Jason rubbed the back of his neck nervously as Kelsi just stood there, lips pursed together, her eyes looking around._

"_Well, I better go," she said, laughing awkwardly._

"_Yeah," he nodded. She turned around but he stopped her. "Hey Kels. I was wondering if–"He took a deep breath. _Get a grip, Cross_. "I was wondering if you wanted to hang out this afternoon?" he blurted out. He blushed. "That is, assuming you have nothing better to do or something."_

"_I'd love to," she said, grinning at him._

"_Great!" he said, a little too excitedly. "Um, I'll see out front at three-fifteen?" She nodded, and he nodded back, smiling. "I'll see you then," he said softly. He turned around and bumped right into Mr Reeds. "Good morning, Mr Reeds," he muttered awkwardly._

"_Mr Cross," he said shortly. "Ms Nielson, into the classroom, now. And you, Mr Cross, better be off to your homeroom."_

"_Leaving," he mumbled. Inwardly, he smiled, as he remembered soft touches and shy smiles, making his way hurriedly to Ms Darbus's classroom._

* * *

_A/N: So that's the second chapter. It's still kind of slow. And it's kind of long. Tell me what you think! Including whether or not the post is too long. _


	4. The Unplanned Reunion

**Chapter 3: The Unplanned Reunion**

Senior year wasn't turning out to be a very good year so far. At least, all eighteen days of it. The workload just kept piling up and their teachers kept talking about exams and college and basically, about their future. Even Gabriella and Taylor were starting to feel the pressure.

Jason reluctantly entered the library during free period, an assignment sheet for History in hand along with two textbooks. If he didn't start on it now, he'd fall behind even more than he already was. Basketball training, it seemed, for the moment, would have to wait.

He hovered at the History section, sleepy eyes skimming over the titles that were printed on the spines of textbooks and other reference books that were supposed to help him with the assignment. He pulled out two worn out books and went to find a seat. He was going to go to his usual seat – or as often as he went to the library anyway – by one of the large windows, only to find that it was occupied, by none other than Kelsi. At once, his heartbeat quickened, his palms became sweaty and the heat rose in his neck as he slowly approached her.

Since the first day of school, they had been spending a lot of time together. Though admittedly braver, he was still quite shy and nervous around her.

"Hey Kelsi," he said.

Surprised, Kelsi looked up at him. "Oh, hey Jason. What are you doing here?" He held up the History sheet in response. "Oh, right."

"How about you? Aren't you usually in the music room during free period?"

"Usually," she said. "But I've put my Biology homework off for far too long, and it's not going to get done by itself, so, here I am. Besides, I think I might actually need to start going to class instead of just blowing it off. My – er – mom's not impressed as it is." She grinned sheepishly up at him before motioning to the empty seat across from her. Swallowing, he took the seat across from her, feeling his neck warm up dramatically, as she went back to her work.

'Okay. Breathe Cross,' he thought to himself. Opening one of the textbooks he had taken to a random page number, his eyes skimmed over the words, although not even a minute later the words looked as though they were blended together, so he stopped, squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose, forcing himself to take several more deep breaths.

"Are you okay?" he heard Kelsi ask.

"Yeah, yeah," Jason said, his eyes only half open and smiling lopsidedly at her. "I'm just… tired."

"Hmmm. Well, it _is_ free period. And it's lunch next anyway," Kelsi said, a suggestive tone in her voice, her eyes alight and her lips pulled up in a smirk.

"I thought your Biology wasn't going to get done by itself?"

"I can always do it at home," she answered nonchalantly.

Jason was torn. On one hand, he needed to get his History paper done before Monday, and there was only two days left. On the other, he really wanted to get out of school, even if it was only for a little bit. And he would be spending time with Kelsi. But if he disappeared from lunch without telling the others, there would be a lot of questions.

'Gone out for lunch. See you in class. J.'

He sent the text to Zeke, who he would be having Math with after lunch – he groaned inwardly, remembering the pile of questions their teacher had set them, also to be handed in by Monday – before flipping his phone close. Gathering his things, he deposited the library books onto a rack that was already filled with several used science books.

Jason turned to Kelsi and smiled.

"Well? Shall we?"

---------------------

As expected, when Jason drove them over to the Boltons', there were a lot of questions as to why he was missing from lunch. Zeke had declared that his text had been "completely vague", that it only told him he was going out for lunch, and not where and with who. Chad had commented that Kelsi was also "coincidentally missing from lunch", and no one, not even any of the girls, knew where she had disappeared to. Jason had refused to say anything, except for a smile he couldn't control and cheeks that flamed red. Troy just laughed in the passenger seat as Zeke and Chad teased him about his "lunch date".

"Are you boys staying for dinner?" Lucille Bolton asked, walking into the living room, addressing her son's three best friends. They were all squashed on the longest couch, slumped into it as they played video games. Chips and drinks lay scattered about on the table, the bags in disarray on the floor. It was clear that they had come straight here after school. "Boys?"

"Not tonight Mrs Bolton," Zeke said. "I've got a ton of Math homework that really needs to be done."

"Yeah, and my mom claims she hasn't seen me in weeks. I was just at the house this morning," Chad said, rolling his eyes.

"No!" Jason yelled, when his player died. With some difficulty, he managed to get off the couch and frowned at the screen, flinging his controller at Chad. "That's it. I'm going home." Turning, he made to pick his things up when he noticed Lucille standing there. He blushed, and the other three just laughed at him, as he greeted and apologized to her for being so loud. She just looked on in amusement, shaking her head and going back to the kitchen.

"Hold on, man. I'll see you out the door," Troy said, trying to get up but failed. He groaned. "Mom! I think we need a new couch!"

Lucille shouted something back from the kitchen, but because Troy couldn't make out what she said, just shook his head and successfully got off the couch, grabbing his open can of Pepsi and followed Jason to the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow man," Jason said, bumping his fist lightly against Troy's. "Assuming I can get up early enough. Breakfast over here right?"

"Yup. Mom's even making your favourite."

Jason laughed. "I look forward to it." Checking his watch, he glanced back at the black SUV sitting in the driveway. "Well, gotta run. I need to pick some stuff up for my mom."

Troy shook his head. "And we know just how much you love it at the supermarket." Chuckling to himself and ignoring the roll of the younger boy's eyes, he added, "Tell Auntie Sandra I said 'hi'."

"Will do," Jason nodded, getting into his car. "See you man."

-----------------------------------

Jason stood in the middle of the aisle, reading the back of a cereal box lazily, even though he had no intention of buying it. His basket, almost full with the items on his mother's groceries list, hung by his elbow. After leaving Troy's house, and after picking up a mocha, he went to the supermarket, where he had been for almost an hour now. There was an odd relaxing feeling about grocery shopping, which was probably why he always volunteered to go in his mother's place. Sometimes, mother and son would go together, and it didn't embarrass him, not even when his best friends mercilessly teased him about it.

Deciding that he had spent long enough, Jason hastily grabbed a box of Pop Tart. With his recent late-nights, they would really come in handy in case he got hungry in the middle of trying to do some math equation or an essay.

As he waited in line to pay for his things, he froze. He thought he saw someone pass by the large glass windows of the supermarket. It was a face he hadn't seen in years, a face he didn't think he'd ever see again, nor did he hope to. Except for a few pictures hidden away, which he had been meaning to throw out for a while now, there was no way he could tell if it was him otherwise. Besides, the man had been walking a little too fast.

He shook his head, frowning. 'You haven't seen him in ten years. Why would he show his face now?' he reminded himself, sighing inwardly as he paid for his things.

Jason took the long way home. The sky was darkening, the sun was setting and he was on the verge of falling asleep. He had to force himself to stay awake, so he wouldn't get into a car crash. Hastily, he switched off the air-conditioner and switched the radio on. A recently released pop song by some new band was currently playing. He was thankful it was Saturday tomorrow; he could put his homework off until Sunday – but if he was honest with himself, he couldn't really afford to do that – and sleep in all he wanted tomorrow.

Although remembering Troy's promise of his mother making his favourite – apple strudel, which at the moment, was competing with Zeke's own recipe in his books – for their weekly Saturday morning breakfast in which they would take turns at whose house they would be having it at, he groaned, before remembering that he could text Troy with a message to move the time a little bit later than their usual time at nine. It was a common thing for them to move the time a little later, considering how late he and Chad always seemed to arrive. It was a longstanding tradition with the boys, and they rarely missed it.

By the time he reached the two-storey house, the sky was already dark and the lampposts switched on, illuminating the neighbourhood. Out of the four, he lived the furthest away from the school. Troy and Chad had been neighbours since forever, and Zeke's house was before theirs, about a fifteen-minute drive from where Jason lived.

Parking into his usual place by his mother's car, he got out, groceries in one hand and his keys in the other. He breathed in the night air, and loved the feeling of comfort it seemed to bring him.

Jason entered the house through the back door leading to the kitchen, placing the bags on the island in the middle of the room. It looked as though his mother hadn't started dinner yet, which he found a little unusual, considering she usually started around five. Suddenly he heard talking coming from the lit up living room. He frowned slightly.

With his keys still in his hand, he walked into the living room. The moment he stepped through, his heart practically stopped.

Thinking back to when he was paying for the groceries earlier on, there was no mistaking it. The man he saw earlier this afternoon was the same man who was sitting in _his_ living room with _his_ mother. But who it was, he couldn't be sure. He still only had a perfect view of the back of his head, and not his face.

"Jason!"

It was Sandra who had spoken. He froze, as the man finally turned around fully, and Jason could finally see his face. His keys dropped to the floor in shock, the sound of metal hitting the wooden flooring echoing.

The man looked exactly like the man in the hidden pictures. He was a bit older now, it was evident by the slight wrinkles and the greying hair, but it was him. There was _definitely _no mistaking it.

"Jason?"

Something in him snapped.

"Oh, my god, look at you!"

Suddenly all he saw was red. Anger rose in him, boiling in his blood, so much that his face flushed.

"You're so big now!"

"What are you doing here?" he spat angrily.

Shaking his head, he turned around sharply, making his way to the front door, disregarding his car keys. He hurriedly walked away from his mother and _that man_, hearing them call him. He didn't stop; he just ran out of the house, slamming the door as he did so.

He ignored his mother calling for him to come back. He continued to run until his legs and chest hurt, continued to run even if his side was hurting. He stopped at the corner about a block away from his house, sweat dripping down his face as he leaned his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. The pain he felt in his legs and his side was nothing compared to the pain in his chest. He opened his eyes and gazed at the ground, realizing with a pang that his vision was blurred, and that tears were slowly running down his face.

He was crying.

-----------------------------------------------

It couldn't have been later than half past six. The sun was already slowly rising. The slightly cool early morning air and the birds singing seemed to help calm Jason's emotions, which, at the moment, were running high.

He had returned home around midnight, after spending the better part of his night alone in the park, sitting on the swings, staring ahead, a thousand thoughts and emotions going through him. His mother had been fast asleep then, and there was no one else in sight. Not even _him_.

Jason leaned his head against one of the beams outside Troy's house, bags under his barely opens eyes and dressed in sweats. Having been awake practically the entire night, he had jogged to Troy's when the sun wasn't even up yet. It was a long way off, but the jog helped him slightly, but not much. He had entered through the backyard with the keys Troy had given them – them being him, Chad and Zeke – in case of any sort of emergencies. Now was definitely an emergency.

He jumped slightly when the backdoor opened and Troy came walking out, yawning and rubbing his eyes as he attempted to pull his shirt on at the same time.

"Hey man," Troy greeted and bumped his fist weakly against Jason's. "Chad and Zeke not here yet?"

The younger boy opened his mouth to answer him when the boys in question came walking in, grumbling. "Oh we're here alright," Chad muttered grumpily. "So what's this about? It's a Saturday! I don't wake up until ten on Saturdays, you know that. I should be in bed."

"Don't know," Troy said, shrugging, stifling a yawn with his hand. "Ask Jason."

Jason took a deep breath as he looked at their sleepy faces, and decided to put off telling them his emergency. 'More like disaster,' he thought bitterly. Standing up properly, he bent down to retrieve one of the basketballs by his feet.

"Come on, guys. Let's have a game before it gets too hot," he said calmly without looking at them, jogging slightly towards the court.

He heard Chad mutter angrily. "You called me at four in the morning and had Zeke come and wake me up and drag me here to shoot hoops? We could've done that when the sun was – oh, I don't know! – up!"

"Chad, come on," Zeke said urgently, lowering his voice, but Jason still heard him. "He sounded upset on the phone. Doesn't that tell you something?"

Jason scoffed bitterly to himself as he dribbled the ball. He stared up at the basketball hoop, and let out a strangled breath, feeling their eyes on him. He could tell, without looking, that Chad was now alert, and the other two were very much awake. He took a shot and it rebounded off the hoop, and he dejectedly stepped back slightly, his arms falling limply to his sides.

"J? Dude, what's up? You know you can tell us," Chad asked, his voice gentler this time.

Jason felt tears start to form beneath his eyelids as a lump formed in his throat. He refused to cry again. Save for last night, he hadn't cried since his older sister, Jen, left for college.

"Jason," Troy said, starting to walk towards him, his voice cautious and worried.

"He's back."

He turned away from them, his breath becoming heavy as he desperately tried not to choke on his own tears. He tensed, his fists clenching by his sides, his fingernails digging into his palms.

"What do–"

"He's back," he repeated. He had put off saying it out loud, in the hopes that it wasn't real, that it couldn't possibly be real. But it _was_ real. _He_ was back, and he didn't know what to think. "After ten years, he's finally had to nerve to show his face."

"Wait. Ten…" Chad muttered. He exchanged shocked looks with Zeke and Troy. "You mean, your dad's…?" Troy looked from Chad to Jason with wide eyes.

"Yeah," he said quietly. None of them missed the break in his voice. "Yeah, he – he was at the house last night, and–" He sniffed. A stray tear made its way down his cheek, leaving a glistening trail. He hastily wiped it away, but kept his hand against his forehead as more tears just ran down his face.

Behind him, Troy, Chad and Zeke barely knew what to do or say. Every single one of them still had their fathers. They couldn't possibly understand the pain Jason was feeling. The only thing they were sure of was that they were shocked, sympathetic, but most of all, angry, for walking out on Jason, for leaving him behind when he was only seven years old, and now, for walking back in without warning and throwing their youngest friend, and his youngest son that he should never have left, off balance.

"Jason?"

Troy was standing right behind him now. He tentatively put a hand on Jason's shoulder, feeling it tremble and shake under his palm.

And suddenly, Jason was crying into Troy desperately, abandoning the tough mask he had attempted to put on. He should have known he couldn't do it. He had known these boys since pre-school; they were best friends, brothers.

By now, Chad and Zeke had joined the pair on the court, patting his shoulder and just stood there, to show that they were there for him, as the sun shone properly down on the four boys, its rays kissing every surface, lighting and waking up Albuquerque. It seemed inappropriate now, given the situation.

Jason would need all of them.


	5. The Days Before the Homecoming Dance

_Sorry for the huge delay! I had exams the last two weeks, and hit a bit of writer's block. A bit of a disclaimer, Jack Scott doesn't belong to me. And another thing, I'm not very familiar with the school system in the US, so I don't know if there's a media class. But for the sake of this fic, I guess it does? Haha. HUUUUGE thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Days Before the Homecoming Dance**

Richard Cross had not made another appearance at the house since two weeks ago, and quite frankly, Jason was glad. His moods had been out of control ever since and it was starting to go back to the way he usually was.

It was the end of gym, with lunch next. Troy, Chad and Zeke were already on their way to the cafeteria. He'd told them that he would them in the cafeteria at their usual table.

But that had been about twenty-five minutes ago, and lunch was already fifteen minutes over. He vaguely heard the sound of his phone vibrating against the metal of his open locker. That would be one of his friends, or, he hoped, Kelsi. He made no move to pick it up however, still staring at the basketball jersey in his hands. The white of the '23' and 'CROSS' stared back at him, his eyes lingering on his last name. He sometimes found himself staying after practices for far longer than was necessary, just staring at his name. It was the only reminder of his father that he had.

He had been twelve when he first realized his father wasn't going to come back any time soon. Except for cards and presents on birthdays and Christmas, their family heard nothing from him until the divorce papers and the hearing that came from him when Jason was eleven.

While Sandra took back her last name, Keyes, Jason, Jen and Jonas all still kept Richard's last name. He hadn't understood then, when his mother had given him the option of taking Keyes as a last name. It was probably for the best that he never changed his name, because it would only cause questions to be asked from his peers. Besides, he didn't even think his father would come back anyway.

Growling in frustration, he flung the jersey into his locker, finally pulling his shirt on. He slammed the metal door shut after retrieving his phone, leaving the room without a look back.

* * *

"Lunch is almost over, Cross. Where have you been?" 

Jason rolled his eyes, the ghost of a smile tugging at his lips, as he approached the three boys by his and Chad's lockers.

"Sorry. I was… thinking."

Chad hit his shoulder. Jason winced, rubbing the spot.

"In the locker room for almost an hour? Dude!"

"What?! You know I have a lot on my mind." Spotting a photocopy of a flier stuck onto the locker next to Chad's, he grimaced. "Like the Homecoming Dance in two days."

The three groaned. The fliers had gone up almost a week and a half ago, after the football team's victory over West High in the homecoming game. Troy and Chad had wasted no time, immediately searching out their girlfriends in order to ask them to the dance. Zeke had, after three days, successfully asked Sharpay, who said yes when he appeared at her doorstep with pink balloons and a small, decent-sized cake with 'Homecoming?' scrawled on top with pink icing. They were starting to get frustrated with Jason's shyness.

"Jason, I keep telling you," Zeke said sternly, "if you just wait around, you and Kelsi are never going to happen. Someone is going to come–"

"And sweep her off her feet. I get it." He scratched his head in frustration. "I just haven't had the time to ask her properly, okay?" It was a lie, but it was the best he could come up with. "She's always with your girlfriends," he shot Troy and Chad a glare, who looked away sheepishly, "or with Sharpay," he threw Zeke a look, "or with Martha. I never see her on her own anymore." It was another lie. He and her always met at the library together during free period on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

"That's because you're always late to school nowadays. Even Chad's earlier than you now," Troy said, who looked amused at the look on Jason's face. Half a second later, his face became serious and leaned in. "Look, J, if it's about your dad–"

"It's not," he snapped. "He hasn't been by the house again and mom doesn't talk about it. This losing sleep thing is over all these stupid assignments they keep throwing at us."

Chad and Zeke glanced at each other, looking doubtful. Troy just stared at him. The youngest sighed, running a hand through his hair. Grabbing a couple of things from his locker, he turned back towards them. He had to reassure them that it _wasn't _because of his father – though he knew partly it was – but merely the stress of school and basketball practices starting soon to prepare them for the season.

"Look, guys. I'm fine. Really. I just have a lot on my mind. That's all. There's no need to worry." The warning bell rang. "Well, I've got to get to class. See you guys later."

Without another word, he turned, and walked towards his Media class.

* * *

For once, Jason wasn't paying attention. Sharing this class with none of his friends, he usually did pay attention, which was probably why he was acing this class so easily. That, and he seemed to have a natural talent for it. The class covered a large range of topics, from editing, to journalism, to advertisements. Anything, really. 

His mind, like it had been the past few weeks, was occupied on his father's sudden presence, and now, his absence once again. It only made him a lot more confused than he actually was. The man suddenly appears, and from what Jason could only interpret from it was that he came back to apologize, which he hadn't done. His only other conclusion was unresolved business with his mother.

His mind, however, wasn't just on the issue of his father being in his life. It was also the pressing matter of the Homecoming Dance and his dateless situation. A Wildcat, especially a basketball-playing-Wildcat at that, didn't go to school functions dateless. Although admittedly, it would have been suicide if the football jocks came without a date.

But with his dateless situation, and with only two days left until the dance, there was only possibly one person that he wanted to take: Kelsi. That much was obvious. All those times he was with her in the library, he _had_ attempted to ask her, but nothing would come out of his mouth. His throat would suddenly close and dry up that once he almost choked on his own breath.

As Mr Simpson handed back their documentation to their small 'welcome back to school' project, Jason wasn't at all surprised to find an 'A' staring back at him.

"Excellent work as usual, Jason."

"Thanks, Mr Simpson," Jason said, grinning.

"You too, Jack," he heard, and he rolled his eyes.

Jack Scott was the person in charge of the school's morning announcements as well as head of the Wildcats Newsletter. Blue eyes, blonde hair, killer smile, he was next in line in the food chain after the jocks. Jason had a funny feeling about him, and he didn't like it and as such, didn't really like him.

It seemed like forever until the class ended. Jason hurriedly packed his things and made a beeline for the door, weaving his way through his classmates. If he was fast enough, he could get out into the hallway, hopefully find Kelsi before the warning bell went for the last class of the day, and ask her. That was _if_ he could form the words fast enough.

"Excuse me! I'd just like to announce something!"

Jason was already feet away from the door and he grimaced in annoyance, tapping his foot on the floor as Jack Scott took his time.

"I just want to remind everyone about the dance this Saturday. The Homecoming Committee will be taking your votes for Homecoming King and Queen just before you go in…"

He rolled his eyes. 'Didn't he announce this stuff this morning?' he thought irritably. When he was sure Jack Scott had stopped talking, he practically sprinted out of the classroom. He rushed past his classmates, past Martha who had raised her hand in greeting, past Coach Bolton who just stared after him weirdly, and finally reached the corner to Kelsi's locker.

She was still there.

"Kelsi!" he all but yelled just as the bell went.

Kelsi turned around to locate the source of the shout and saw him, smiled and waved, before turning back around to hurry off to her next class.

"Wait–" he started feebly. He sighed dejectedly, kicking one of the nearby lockers lightly before he, too, rushed off to his next class.

* * *

Jason was annoyed. Even though the last bell had rung, he was told to stay back to have a talk with his Math teacher about his grades. He was only let out about half an hour later, a scowl on his face as he stormed to his locker, the halls already emptying of students. There was barely anyone left. 

Checking his watch, he sighed dejectedly. Kelsi must have gone home by now. He knew she stayed for a while in the school sometimes to take advantage of the empty music room and empty halls to better concentrate on writing whatever piece she was working on. Sometimes he stayed with her, but only if she offered, and she had done so about three times already. She would be shy as she pressed on the keys and sang softly as he listened to the words she sang that seemed to come from her heart. He would compliment her, and she would blush every time, giving his arm an appreciative squeeze. Sometimes he would encourage her to sing just a tad bit louder, so that he could hear her properly. Sometimes he would just sit silently next her, smiling lazily as he watched her.

"Kelsi! Hey, Kelsi, wait up!"

His heart jumped into his throat as heard her name being called by someone around the corner. There was only two other people in the school who shared that name, but he was sure, for some reason, that this would be his Kelsi.

His_ Kelsi? What are you on about, Cross? She's not yours,_ he scolded himself.

He meant to turn around the corner when he stopped short, his eyebrows knitting together and eyes narrowing as he saw that Jack Scott was standing by Kelsi's locker. Kelsi didn't seem to care that the boy was there, although she did turn to give him a smile. From where he was, Jason could see that it was a bit forced. He could tell, by the faint lines that appeared on her forehead.

"So, um, Kelsi… you going to the Homecoming dance?"

Jason's entire body froze as he heard the words he had been meaning to say to her for days be spoken by his rival classmate. Sharply, he turned around, and pressed himself against the lockers, his ears straining to hear Kelsi's reply.

"I – yeah. Yeah, I'm going," she said politely.

"Has… anyone asked you yet?"

There was a silence. He knew no one had asked her yet. He had asked the same question this morning during their meeting in the library, although he had failed to ask her to the dance. Realizing what Jack Scott's intentions were, he mentally kicked himself, feeling disappointment run through his blood as his face flushed. Jason should have asked her when he had the chance. _Why_ hadn't his voice worked?

_It was because she was looking at you with the most innocent, cutest look you had ever seen_. He cursed himself. He could remember how his throat became as dry as the desert, palms suddenly cold and clammy, and heart pounding too hard in his chest that he could barely breathe.

"Oh." It seemed as though she, too, realized where her companion was going with his simple statement. There was another pause, before she said quietly, "No, no one's asked me yet." Jason couldn't help but feel that he heard a bit of bitterness, anger and disappointment in her voice. A feeling that felt oddly like guilt swam in his stomach.

"Really? That's a… surprise. I'd have thought you'd be beating them off with a stick. I mean, you're really pretty. Not to mention great on the piano," Jack Scott said smoothly.

Jason could feel the anger and jealously rise in him, making him sick to his stomach. Without wanting to, he thought, and he knew, that Kelsi would be blushing now, face a shade of pink, and tucking a loose curl behind her ear.

"Thank you, Jack."

He gave a short chuckle, before saying, "So, um, since no one's asked you yet… would you like to go to the dance with me?"

The silence this time seemed almost deafening, and Jason squeezed his eyes shut, saying 'please don't say yes, please don't say yes' like a mantra in his head. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face and just as he slowly opened his eyes, Kelsi spoke.

"I – sure."

And just like that, it was like his world had crashed.

"Really? I thought you and Jason Cross–"

Jason straightened.

"–had something going on?"

"Jason and I, we – I'm not sure what's going on." She sounded a little disappointed, but it was gone almost immediately, this time replaced by a nonchalant, offhand voice. "But it's nothing." Something painful hit Jason's heart as he listened, crestfallen. "So, pick me up at 7?"

"Yeah, okay. I'll see you then."

Jack Scott sounded dazed, before saying his byes and walking away in the opposite direction. Kelsi, it seemed, returned to putting and taking things out of her locker.

Jason scowled. So many things filled him at once. Anger, hurt, jealousy, disappointment… It should have been him who was skipping off with a ridiculously dazed look on his face, being happy, over the moon at the reality and very notion that Kelsi had said yes to him. Except it wasn't him, and he was not happy. The feeling almost rivalled that of his father's reappearance.

There was a kind of sinking realization as Jason finally moved to leave the school. He was going to the dance alone, and the only girl he wanted to take was going with someone else.


End file.
